Tenacity and Rejection
by im-an-idjit
Summary: Dean shot him a bright grin. "Go out with me." (high school!oneshot)


"Novak!"

Castiel, already halfway down the hall from his classroom, resolutely kept up the speed he currently walked at. In fact, he'd even say he increased it somewhat. But evidently, the message did not get across, as the deep-voiced, cheerful call did not subside.

"Hey, Novak!"

Fast-paced footsteps sounded from behind him. _Five more feet, just five more,_ Cas' mind thrummed the words like a mantra. _Five feet and you're in the classroom. Then you're free 'till third period._

However, it seemed the universe was not content with leaving him alone until third period Biology, because a hand struck out from behind and grasped his shoulder, spinning him round, effectively bringing an end to his stride. Cas' heart skipped to his throat- _not_ because he was anticipating any pleasure from seeing the face in front of him.

Dean Winchester, taller than Cas by some 5 centimeters (8 in those stupid, muddy boots of his), grinned down at him, self-assured and cocky and (Castiel added grudgingly) handsome. The tips of the sixteen-year-old's nose and ears were tinged pink from the chilly weather outside, bringing special emphasis to his freckles, and snowflakes still peppered the strands of his sandy blond hair. Dean's touch on Cas' shoulder was gentle but firm, warm even through the latter's bulky blue sweater. _You could still turn around and enter, _Cas reasoned, _get away from the cold hallway _and_ Winchester's insistent pestering._

Castiel settled on a formal, universally accepted, "Hello."

"Gotta admit," Dean responded. "Didn't think runnin' away like that was your style."

"I wasn't running. I didn't hear you."

Dean's eyebrow quirked, sparking jolts (of _irritation_) in Cas' belly. "Right. Sure is hard to hear anything with all the noise in this empty hallway."

Castiel rolled his eyes, then looked at the watch on his wrist. "I'm sorry, I have to go to class. Excuse me." Adjusting the strap of his courier bag on his shoulder, Castiel marched inside, but whatever sanctuary he had expected from his classroom did not hold out. Dean was three steps behind him, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, smirk in place. Cas dropped his bag on his desk and got started on the knot in his scarf as Dean settled on top of the table behind. None of the other students took notice of the new addition to their Home Ec class.

"This isn't your lesson, Winchester," Castiel reminded, huffing irritably when the scarf's twist refused to come undone. "May I help you with something, so you can be on your way?"

"Yeah." Dean shot him a bright grin. "Go out with me."

Castiel didn't skip a beat in his response, "No."

He had to hand it to Dean, though. His determination never once seemed to waver, despite the well-known answer they had both become used to expecting. "C'mon," he coaxed. "I'll take you wherever you like and I won't complain if you wanna hold hands."

"Tempting," Cas said wryly, "but I decline."

Dean flicked Castiel's hands away from his scarf, earning an indignant rebuttal, but ignored it in favour of untying the knot. He did it with apparent ease, and his smug beam had Cas' stomach twisting (_no_, the sensation was not a nice one).

"Thank you," Castiel muttered, setting his bag down on the floor and taking a seat.

"If you _really_ wanted to thank me-"

"_No_."

"I don't get you," Dean countered. "Most people would love to go on a date with me. Hell, sometimes _they're_ the ones asking _me_ out."

"Modesty isn't a strong point for you, is it?" Castiel asked.

"Just sayin'. It ain't tootin' your own horn if it's the truth," the blond said.

"Well, I apologize for the blow to your over-inflated ego, but my answer is still no."

Dean looked as if he wanted to make a response, but was cut off by Miss Moseley's call of, "Mr Winchester, get back to your own class! Unless you'd like me to tell Mr Singer you're transferring from Shop?"

"I'm goin', I'm goin'," Dean assured, hopping off the desk. Passing Miss Moseley's desk, he rapped his knuckles against it, then flashed one more arrogant smile in Cas' direction and declared, "I'm gonna get you to say yes to me, Novak!"

Castiel's lips quivered slightly as he replied, "Good bye, Winchester."

* * *

These escapades started when Castiel had come back from summer vacation last term. Admittedly, freshman year hadn't been the greatest of experiences, what with new classes and harder material and the general shock that came with moving up from middle school, but overall, Cas was happy to be back. He had a small circle of friends that he was excited to see, as well as new topics to look forward to from the classes he had particularly enjoyed.

Then Dean Winchester strode up to him in the cafeteria during lunch the second day back.

Castiel initially thought Winchester had asked him out as a joke. A rather stupid joke, but that was what he had discarded it as before he hurried back to his table, scowling through his flush. But after that, Dean just kept coming back- during mutual classes, in between periods, in the lunch line- and insisted on taking him on a date. Castiel politely refused every time. He didn't do it to be mean or spiteful, he simply knew that nothing would come out of it.

Before the unwanted socialization the blond forced upon him every day, Dean Winchester hadn't meant much to Castiel (shut up, he _still_ didn't mean anything). He was just another student in his class, and if Cas really tried hard to remember, his impromptu lab partner that one time Anna was sick. Despite this, Cas knew what kind of person Dean Winchester was. He the type who went out with pretty girls once, and never again. He wasn't the type to date, to keep a relationship. The longest commitment he ever had was to his _car_.

Dean was a good person. He was kind and funny and confident, but his views on relationships were far too different from Castiel's. Cas wanted something that lasted longer than one month, Dean was content with one evening. Cas valued emotional connection, Dean only seemed to be in it for the physical.

Why Winchester would even go after someone like Castiel was a mystery in itself. He wasn't popular or attractive, he certainly wasn't willing. Mostly, Cas hoped that Dean would forget about him during the Christmas break, so when school started again, he'd be spared the exasperation that came with Winchester's hounding. Still, there was one tiny part of him that wished for the opposite- that Dean would not back down once he returned from vacation, would not ease off for a second. _That_ was the irrational part of Castiel, which overlooked their enormous incompatibility and reminded Cas how Dean's lips were crooked when he smiled, how vibrant and _green_ his eyes were, how breathless he felt whenever he touched him.

Dean obviously hadn't forgotten. Castiel wasn't sure how to feel about that.

* * *

Lunch at Castiel's table was quiet for all of two minutes, until Balthazar opened his mouth to voice an opinion Anna unsurprisingly disagreed with, resulting in back-and-forth bickering that would have heads turning in a way reminiscent of a tennis match. Castiel listened with half an ear, more interested in his sandwich than whether or not canteen food was actually freshly cooked or simply a pre-heated meal from yesterday. Instead, he focused on how to fit both the poem analysis and the essay on the Cuban missile crisis he'd got for homework into his schedule. He'd promised Anna they'd go to buy her a new set of watercolours together, then maybe he should ask her to come over afterwards? Anna was good at finding connotations and symbolism, perhaps they could do the homework together. He'd also have to tell Gabriel not to wait up for him after school, he'd just take the bus home afterwards-

"You plannin' to eat that sandwich or tryin'a intimidate it into spontaneous combustion?"

Cas looked up from the sesame seed he'd blankly been staring at, only to be greeted by a pair of crinkling, green eyes. Dean quirked his eyebrows at him in greeting and as he sat down, Castiel took note of the annoying silence Balthazar and Anna had lapsed into.

"What?" Cas inquired intelligently.

"You were glarin'," Dean informed him with an easy smile. Why was he even sitting here? "Somethin' up?"

Cas answered with a shrug, "No. Just thinking."

To this, the blond's lips morphed into a cocky grin. "About me?" he asked, causing Cas to scowl in response, unimpressed.

Cas ignored the way Anna tried to disguise her laugh into a cough, and picked at his sandwich, removing the cucumber slices. "Do you need something, Winchester? I don't recall you eating here."

"Actually, yeah. What's up with Bio homework? I didn't get jack." Dean asked. He swiped one of the discarded cucumbers as Cas picked up his sandwich.

"It's quite straightforward, just the worksheet that was handed out, on the eye. Weren't you listening?"

The other leaned in closer and said, "Too busy staring at you, gorgeous."

Castiel felt his face heat up violently. Taking a bite of his sandwich, he dropped his gaze downwards, but not before he saw Balthazar's eyebrows rise amusedly. Traitor. "As I said," Cas muttered. "It's straightforward."

"How about you come over to my place after school and we go over it together then?" Dean asked with a lopsided smile.

Blue eyes met green briefly, before Cas said to his sandwich, "I've already made plans with Anna today, I'm sorry."

He felt the redhead in question kick him hard in the shin under the table, but Dean just shrugged. Both he and Castiel noticed Benny waving in Winchester's direction. Standing up, the blond turned to Cas again. "One date. That's all I'm askin' for here, man."

"What part of the word 'no' escapes your understanding?" Cas responded. All he wanted was to eat in silence. Was it so much to ask for?

Apparently it was, as Dean remained lingering by his table. "Ain't in my dictionary, Novak."

"Along with 'uninterested', it seems."

When his friend beckoned to him again and called out, Dean answered with a sharp, "Yeah, gimme a second!" After a nod directed at Cas, he was retreating from the table, jogging in Benny's direction.

Anna waited an astounding ten seconds until Dean was out of earshot, then kicked Cas again.

Castiel yelped, hissing at the throbbing pain spreading through his shin. "Ow, _Anna!_"

"What was that about?" she demanded. "You didn't need to blow him off for me, Cas!"

"Despite your belief in everyone's world revolving around you," Balthazar quipped, "Cassie didn't turn him down for your benefit."

"Shut up, or I'll kick you too," Anna threatened through the smile growing on her lips. "Seriously, Cas. What are you doing? Dean's a great guy."

"Anna, please. He's hardly interested," Castiel countered.

"Excuse me?" Balthazar laughed. "I don't know whether you've missed the part about him insistently asking you out."

"I _mean_, he's not interested in dating." Cas kept the 'me' unspoken, but he believed his point came across just as clearly without it. "Look, it's just... This isn't anything to him. Just some chase, or _game_. I don't know, and I don't care."

"Cas, come _on_. The bloke's been after you since last term," Balthazar said. "Surely you cannot think that he'd stick around for four months just for a _chase_."

"I-" Cas responded, but nothing else came out.

Would Dean really keep it up this long if it was just a joke to him? It sounded ridiculous when Balthazar put it that way. Had Cas been reading into it wrong? He _couldn't_ have. He knew Dean's type. He knew _Dean_.

_But do you really?_

He looked up to find Balthazar watching him expectantly. Cas blinked. "I... I don't know."

* * *

After Gabriel had been found (poking around in the janitor's closet not at _all_ suspiciously) and relieved of chauffeur duty, Cas set out towards the stone staircase in front of the school's main doors, where he'd agreed he would meet Balthazar and Anna. The blond was already there, but Anna was still nowhere in sight.

"Stayed behind in Art, I suppose," Balthazar said when Cas showed. The other nodded in response, gaze drifting off the the parking lot further down from them. It was crowded at this time, most kids itching to get as far away from the school premises as possible, in the shortest time possible. Which more often than not led to heavy traffic (this irritated Gabriel to no end, never mind that he was one of the said itchy kids). As Cas' eyes wandered from a holdup caused by a blue Jeep that had been backing out and a too-eager silver Toyota, he took note of the familiar, broad-shouldered shape of Dean Winchester, approaching his beloved Chevrolet Impala.

Just the mere sight of him was enough to send Cas' mind reeling back to the conversation he had at lunch. The question had been pestering him like a toothache the entire day, refusing to be left unanswered. Guilt had nested in his chest- for judging Dean too quickly, for not giving him a chance. He had been so wrapped up in his own perception of him he never bothered to find out if it was even true.

Cerulean eyes were still trained on the Winchester's back. Dean seemed in no hurry to get home, probably waiting for the greater part of traffic to blow over. If Cas was hoping to get some answers, this was as good a time as any.

"I'll be right back," he said to his best friend, whose lips quirked knowingly.

"Wouldn't have anything to do with a certain blond who wears too much plaid and leather?" Balthazar asked.

"I hate you."

"You love me, now get going before you lose him, yeah?"

Cas didn't waste any more time after that. He skipped down the stairs as quickly as he could without earning a broken neck, his courier bag slapping against his thigh and scarf billowing behind him. The trek through the crowd at the bottom of the stairs was a long and awkward one, what with having to meander between two dozens of chatty teenagers, who apparently had better things to do than move out of the way for a fellow student. Once Cas was free from the sea of students, it was only a matter of weaving around the cars (both parked and halted in traffic) dotting the lot. The back of Dean's head was the only thing Cas was focused on, although his brain was already pouring over several different conversation starters. Questions and statements and demands buzzed in his head as he felt his heart pick up its pace, thundering behind his ribs and in his ears.

But apparently, the only thing that remained in mind when he was three feet away and Dean had suddenly turned around was, "Dean."

There was a subtle twitch in Winchester's lips. "Cas."

He was at a loss for words. That was inconvenient. Had Dean always had that effect on him?

Cas squinted slightly, and managed a slow, "Hello."

"Hey," Dean said back. His own brow furrowed in bemusement as he pressed back against the door frame of his car. "So, this is new. _I'm_ usually the one comin' to _you_." A flash of surprise seemed to cross over his features. "Here to finally say yes?" he asked.

"Depends."

Now he looked _really_ taken aback. "That's _definitely_ new. What do you mean-"

"Shh, just- Shut up, please," Cas insisted, adding, "Stop it, I'm being serious," after the amused smirk Dean shot his way.

"All right, fine." The other's hands came up in a gesture of defeat. "What's up, Novak?"

Cas rubbed his knuckles against his palm in a way he recognized was a sign of nervousness. "Dean... I don't know you. Not really." When the blond looked like he wanted to make a response, Castiel pressed a hand over his mouth, shushing him again. "But I'd like to _get_ to know you," he explained. "However, there'd- I think there would have to be more than just one date for that."

For a moment, Dean didn't say anything back. Then he gently pried off Cas' hand (which, Castiel flushed when he realized, was still on his mouth) and brushed the back with his thumb. "You'd want more?" he clarified, peeking up at Cas from beneath his eyelashes.

To which Castiel responded with a shaky laugh and, "More would be preferable, yes."

Dean nodded, grinning. "I was hopin' there'd be more too, you know. That is, if I ever got you to say yes in the first place."

A surprised laugh was punched out of Cas' chest as his nerves melted away, and he belatedly realized he was being pulled in closer by the waist. When he looked up, Dean quirked his eyebrows playfully. "Dean? Are you planning to seal that promise with a kiss?" he teased.

Dean hummed in thought. "Might'a crossed my mind. Your mouth's really distracting."

"What makes you think you'll get me to go out with you _and_ kiss me in one day?" They were centimetres apart now - Cas could feel Dean's breath on his cheek.

"I've always been a go-big-or-home kind of guy."

Their lips stopped with an inch between them. Cas watched Dean's tongue trail over his lower lip, but neither made another move, until the Winchester whined,

"Four months, man. Gimme somethin' to go on."

And then Cas' fingers were cupping the nape of his neck, stroking the blond hairs there, drinking in the softness, the taste of Dean's mouth. Hands came down on his waist, warm and firm as they rubbed his hips, pulled their bodies flush together. A sliver of tongue lazily passed over the seam of Cas' lips and spread them easily into a slow, open-mouth kiss.

"Will that be enough for you to go on?" Cas murmured when they pulled apart, noses still brushing together.

He was met by a mischievous grin. "Not even close. Get back here," Dean countered, before swooping in again.

* * *

**A/N: **So I started this little thing two weeks ago actually, but because of mocks I only got around to finishing it now. Excessively cheesy and fluffy, but bear with me, I just got back from a week of exams. I seriously needed the therapy.

And if any of you picked up some Jily vibes, you'd be totally, 110% right.


End file.
